Page 130 of Imperfect Arrangement
I choke. “You’re crazy if you think I’m letting you?—”
Ray leans in, dropping his voice so low that I feel it more than hear it. “You’re absolutely right. I’m crazy—too crazy, when it comes to you.”
The next second, his lips crash back onto mine with a force that sends a shiver down my spine. There’s nothing gentle about this kiss. It’s raw, frustrated, like a storm that’s been building for too long and finally finds its breaking point.
His hands grip my waist, fingers digging in like he’s anchoring himself to me. I feel the heat of him, the quiet desperation in the way his lips part against mine, the way his tongue sweeps in, claiming, taking, reminding me exactly what I left behind.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I register that we’re moving. His strong arms shift, lifting me effortlessly, carrying me without once breaking the kiss. His lips stay fused to mine as his feet find steady ground, each step deliberate, owning the space between us.
By the time we finally break apart, I’m breathless, dazed, and no longer where I was before. I blink, realizing I’m now seated inside the Ferris wheel cabin.
Ray steps back, eyes locked on to mine, his chest rising and falling with the same uneven breaths I’m struggling to take. The ride lurches to life, the cabin swaying slightly as we ascend, but I can’t look away from him.
“Does it still hurt?” I ask, watching him blink his red eyes. I still can’t believe I Maced him, even if unintentionally.
He blinks once, then twice, and then, his answer cuts through me like a blade. “Less than the way you hurt me a month ago.”
I suck in a sharp breath. Crap. He’s pulling no punches.
But don’t you deserve it all, Wills?
I open my mouth, ready to say something to fix the gaping wound I left behind. But before I can, he pulls me against him again, his warmth seeping into my bones, silencing my words before they even form.
The Ferris wheel creaks to a slow stop, and just when I think I can’t handle any more surprises, Ray reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulls out a single sunflower.
Of course he did. Because this man—this impossible, stubborn, wonderful man—has been wishing on sunflowers while I was too scared to trust in us.
“Do you truly believe in these wishes?” he asks. I start to answer, but he pins me in place with his gaze. “The real answer, Willow. Not the one that sounds good or that you think is socially acceptable.”
My throat tightens as I realize how well he knows me.
“For me, they mean more than any prayer.”
A slow, satisfied smile spreads across his face, like I just confirmed something he already knew. “Hold it.” He places the sunflower in my hand before covering it with his own, his warmth bleeding into my skin. “Now, close your eyes, Firefly.”
And I obey.
“Dear Wish Fairy,” he begins, his breath teasing my ear. “For the past thirty days, my bug and I have been here every morning, asking you to help Willow find her way back to us. We requested you to make her less scared and to remind her that we were waiting. Tonight, you fulfilled our wishes, thank you so much for that.”
A sharp exhale rushes past my lips, my heart clenching at his words.
“She came to me,” he continues, his voice now edged with something fierce. “She told me she can’t say she doesn’t love me, and I’m taking that as a fact that she does.”
“Ray—” My eyes fly open, my head already turning toward him.
“Shh. Close your eyes, Willow. I need to finish my wish. As I was saying,” he starts again, “she doesn’t know how much I love her. She has no idea the lengths I’d go to see her happy. I don’t let people in easily. But when I do, I don’t let them go. The last thing Willow told me through her letter was that if soul mates were real, she’d want to be mine. Well, I want to tell her that they are real, and she already is mine.”
I suck in a breath, his words sinking into every part of me, filling all the cracks.
“So,” he continues, “she can go ahead and give up any thoughts of running. That was a one-time allowance, and she’s used up her chance. Wish Fairy, can you please make sure my Willow understands this and stops being so damn fucking stubborn.”
A single tear escapes, slipping down my cheek, but I don’t open my eyes, because I’m whispering the same wish in my heart.
I feel Raymond shift beside me. Then, softly—so softly it almost breaks me—he speaks. “Open your eyes, Firefly. You’re missing the best view.”
I blink, my vision still hazy, but even through the tears, I see that it’s breathtaking. The lights of the town below glow like scattered fireflies, and when the lake reflects them back, the rippling water makes them dance. The Ferris wheel creaks as it sways, rocking us gently in the night air.
We stay like that, silent, tangled in each other, until the ride starts again and takes us back down. As we descend, I reach for him, curling my fingers around his.
